Feigin discussed the process the Bucks used to submit proposals to host a future All Star Game, which will be either in the 2020-2021 season or the 2021-2022 season. That process, he explained, involved a shared interest with the NBA to bring an All Star Game to Milwaukee.

“It’s a matter of when,” Feigin began. “…Part of our campaign and what we’ve said to the NBA is ‘We’re all in this together. This is a huge message for a small-market team to have [the All Star Game] on an international stage.'”

“My expectation is if we didn’t get it for 2021, some team that was maybe a little more deserving might get it, but there’s no way we’re not going to get it in the near future, which is important to us.”

Feigin also announced a timeline for naming the D-League team being established in Oshkosh, which broke ground on arena construction early last week.

While a team name is set to be announced in the “next couple weeks,” the Bucks have made it a priority that they’d like the name to be taken seriously, thus, names like the “Deer Ticks” and “B’Goshs” are not being considered. Feigin said at least one of the names up for discussion was submitted by a fan, but he didn’t provide any other hints.

OSHKOSH, Wis. — The MilwaukeeBucks are set to make an announcement regarding their future NBA D-League team Wednesday in Oshkosh, reports WBAY-TV.

Oshkosh is one of the three finalist cities team president Peter Feigin alluded to during an interview on The Neighborhood late last summer. While no potential team names were mentioned at that time, Feigin said they would take the process seriously. Other cities being considered are Sheboygan and Racine.

The announcement is expected to include details about the construction of a new arena to house the franchise. The WBAY report says Oshkosh investors are proposing a $15 million, privately-funded arena that would seat about 3,500 fans for D-League games, while doubling as a concert venue holding 4,000 people. Construction is expected to begin next month.

Feigin told the Wisconsin Sports Zone Network that a determining factor for which city would house the D-league team would have to bring “attendance, an in-bred fan base, and the financial support…A lot of it is who the partnership group is and then what the excitement, and the activity, and the pre-sales are.”

Milwaukee has been among just a handful of NBA teams without an affiliate, relying upon the league’s “flexible assignment rule” when sending players to the Development League to build up their skills. If everything goes as planned, the Bucks would become the 25th of 30 NBA teams to have its own affiliate.

MILWAUKEE — After an offseason of speculation that Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe would be traded, his agent says the Louisiana native will remain in Milwaukee when the season begins.

According to a report from the Racine Journal Times, agent David Falk isn’t at all surprised his agent is still a member of the Bucks.

“There’s been a lot of speculation, but that’s part and parcel for the NBA,’’ Falk said. “You always have rumors and one percent of them come true…I’ve become a cynic to rumors.’’

The report cited Milwaukee’s low asking price as a reason other NBA teams perceived the Bucks as sellers on Monroe, despite signing him to a three-year, $50 million contract in July of 2015. On the stat sheet Monroe has been exactly what Milwaukee asked for: 15.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. However, it was Monroe’s inability to play around the rim that caused concern for some of those in Milwaukee. The Bucks added Matthew Dellavedova, Mirza Teletovic, and Jason Terry to give him the spacing he needs to operate.

Like Falk, Bucks president Peter Feigin feels Monroe will remain in Milwaukee. But speaking on “The Neighborhood” on July 24, Feigin confirmed they left the door open to a potential move.

“[The D-League team] is a direct brand extension,” Feigin said Sunday on “The Neighborhood.” “…We’re going to be awfully serious about what the connection is. This will not be the [American Hockey League’s] Albany River Rats; this will not be interesting — [International League’s] [Toledo] Mud Hens. This will be…something that’s true and authentic.”

The Bucks have set a soft deadline of mid-September for when they’d like to name a finalist for the affiliate’s host city. It would then go to the NBA for league approval, which is a streamlined process based on the number of times they’ve gone through the process before. By the 2017 season, the Bucks hope to have that team fully functioning as their D-League franchise.

Feigin said there are no team names currently in discussion for whichever city ends up hosting the Bucks’ affiliate, but joked that they’re running out of time to think of one.

There are now three finalists in the running for Milwaukee’s D-League affiliate, and although Feigin didn’t specify, the likely candidates are Oshkosh, Racine, and Sheboygan.

MILWAUKEE — The city of Sheboygan should be considered a strong contender to host a future Milwaukee Bucks NBA Development League team, given its proximity to Milwaukee and ownership group.

As the Bucks aim to announce a host city for their D-League affiliate by September, team president Peter Feigin praised the efforts being made by Lakefront Jewel Group to potentially host a team. In a Sunday interview on “The Neighborhood,” Feigin specifically mentioned former Bucks player and assistant coach Joe Wolf, who leads the charge for LJG in reconstructing the Armory.

While each city hoping to make a bid for the Bucks affiliate was required to fill out a privacy agreement, it’s no surprise Sheboygan is in the running, considering the connection with Wolf. He has experience coaching in the Continental Basketball Association (2004-2006) and the D League (2006-2008), as well as the NBA as an assistant coach (2008-present).

Wolf posted a number of renderings on Twitter of what the Armory could look like once the renovation project is completed.

Other cities reported to be in the hunt for a new Bucks D League team include Racine and Oshkosh, while La Crosse was ruled out last weekend.

MILWAUKEE — The process of naming a host city for a Milwaukee Bucks NBA Development League team is taking longer than expected, pushing the decision date into September.

In an interview with the Wisconsin Sports Zone Network, team president Peter Feigin says he expects that decision to come down in the next four to six weeks, with the longer end of that time frame bumping up against Milwaukee’s start of training camp.

While Feigin said the team is now considering “about three cities” as the affiliate’s host, the decision comes down to more than just location. Location was a factor, however, in ruling out La Crosse, despite being the only reported city with an arena already in place.

Among the cities believed to be in the running, Sheboygan has launched a site with renderings of a proposed arena. Oshkosh and Racine are also considered strong contenders.

According to Feigin, the city which wins the bidding war will have “attendance, a [built-in] fan base, and then actually have the financial support to do it.” The partnership group and excitement level will also come into play.

Sheboygan’s ownership group, Lakefront Jewel Group, is headed by former Milwaukee Bucks player and assistant coach Joe Wolf. Wolf was also an assistant with the Brooklyn Nets for the 2014-15 season and has experience coaching NBA Development League teams. The Group’s Web site lists 2017 as the year in which the proposed arena will be completed, which falls in line with Milwaukee’s plan to have a team established by that time frame.

At this time, no team names have been generated and no sponsorship opportunities have publicly been announced.

Feigin noted that roughly 12 cities in Wisconsin were in consideration to host an affiliate team, but they have yet to finalize a team name or location.

It was reported Tuesday night that La Crosse has been ruled out as a potential city to host a future team, mainly due to distance.

During a discussion on “The Neighborhood” back in June, Feigin revealed that the future site for a D-League affiliate had to be within two hours of Milwaukee for the team to consider it. That city would also be required to already have a facility to play in or one with plans already in place to build one.

“We’re at the initial stages,” Feigin said back in June. “…What we’ll do in probably four weeks’ time is narrow down that list to about two or three prospective towns and then really get into the nitty gritty of…really starting development with the hope of getting a team up and running within two years.”

Maker, the tenth overall pick in June’s draft, will be one of the last players from the rookie class to sign his deal. Bucks president Peter Feigin said last week on “The Zone” that they weren’t concerned with the contract, and were instead concentrating on helping Maker with some of the essentials as he makes his transition to a player in the NBA.

“We’ve spent the last week when he he got back from summer league getting him his learner’s permit and some driving lessons and tests,” Feigin said with a laugh. “So we were kind of focused on some other things.”

The 19-year-old averaged 14.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per game in summer league action, while Brogdon put up 10.2 points and 4.4 assists.

MADISON, Wis. — Speaking exclusively with The Wisconsin Sports Zone Network Sunday morning, Milwaukee Bucks president Peter Feigin said an offer was made to Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook, but that it never gained much traction.

Milwaukee’s current point guard, Michael Cater-Williams, averaged 11.5 points per game in 2015, down about five points per contest (16.7) from his rookie season with the Philadelphia 76ers. His assist numbers were down as well, from 6.3 per game to 5.2. His ineffectiveness to combine assists with shooting in the 2015-16 campaign led to discussion MCW would be traded, only to have rumors fly that he wouldn’t be leaving Milwaukee.

The Bucks have since explored other options at point guard, namely Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, a five-time All-Star with the Thunder. At 27 years old, Westbrook led the NBA last season with 18 triple doubles. Feigin says Milwaukee discussed the possibility of bringing Westbrook in, but the discussions never turned into a contract offer.

“When [a potential trade] becomes very substantial and real, we circle up the business side, the ownership side, and the basketball side and all give it a quick, hard thought. It didn’t get to that level, so I think the Westbrook rumors were…the second [Kevin] Durant left, you were going to get Westrbook rumors.”

LAS VEGAS — Milwaukee Bucks president Peter Feigin revealed on Sunday that the naming rights for the new arena were down to six or seven legitimate prospects.

Feigin joined Eric Rogers on “The Neighborhood” in an exclusive Zone interview to discuss everything from free agency moves to seating arrangements for the new arena coming to downtown Milwaukee. The current name in place for the arena and entertainment district is the “Wisconsin Sports and Entertainment Center.” Feigin says that’s simply a placeholder which will be replaced once a deal is reached.

The difference between this arena deal and ones around the league is that the Bucks will be selling naming rights to the entire entertainment district as part of the $1 billion-plus project.

Feigin noted that three large Wisconsin-based companies were in contention for naming rights to the arena and entertainment district. While Feigin couldn’t release the names of those companies, a Milwaukee Business Journalarticle from Jan. 2015 shows the largest companies within the state.